In the United States, Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained on the grounds of supporting Palestine, shared her experiences during and after her arrest in court. Öztürk stated that she thought she would be kidnapped and killed by the civilian-dressed individuals who blocked her way.

Rümeysa Öztürk, who was detained by 6 Customs and Border Protection officers with masked faces near her home in Massachusetts while she was on her way to an iftar, described her ordeal in a 7-page petition submitted to the Vermont Federal District Court.

“I requested a female police officer to be with me, but they said there was none around. They were all in civilian clothing. I thought this was a strange situation and I was certain they would kill me,” she said. The Turkish doctoral student, who did not think the people detaining her were police, stressed that she had never seen the police approach anyone this way before. In her petition, Öztürk wrote that when they stopped at a place resembling a police station in New Hampshire, she thought she was being detained by U.S. law enforcement for the first time.

NOT ALLOWED TO MEET WITH LAWYER

Tufts University student Öztürk stated in the petition she submitted to the court that when she wanted to meet with her lawyer immediately after being detained, she was not allowed to, but was told that it might be possible once they reached Vermont. Öztürk said, “In Vermont, I wanted to meet with a lawyer again but despite being told earlier that I could call my lawyer in Vermont, I was told that I couldn’t do so.”

Rümeysa Öztürk, who spent the night in a cell with “a hard bench without a mattress” in Vermont, said, “Throughout the night, they came to my cell several times and asked me if I wanted to apply for asylum and if I was a member of a terrorist organization.”

EXPERIENCED 4 ASTHMA ATTACKS IN LOUISIANA FACILITY

Rümeysa Öztürk, who stated that she was taken from Massachusetts, where she was studying and residing as a Fullbright scholar, to Louisiana, thousands of kilometers away, reported that she had suffered from asthma attacks 4 times at the facility in Louisiana at different times, but could not access adequate medical support. Noting the rudeness in the behaviors of the people there, Öztürk expressed that she did not feel safe. She added, “I still have not been given a prayer rug or the Quran. I also wanted to meet with a Muslim cleric. I made these requests over two weeks ago. Also, I asked for light long-sleeved clothing due to the weather conditions, but I could not get any. I am praying every day to be released to return to my home in Somerville (Massachusetts) and among the community I live in.”

In her petition, Öztürk also mentioned that she wanted to complete the doctorate she had been working on for the past 5 years and requested bail for this purpose.